Author: Maggie Eterno

I’m Still Here

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Hi, friends!! It’s been a loooooong time!

Over the last several months, our family has been through quite a journey. It’s required forced change for our family and it hasn’t been easy.

I’ve always said that I’m an open book. I share details of my struggles because I truly believe that it can help someone going through something similiar. But, unfortunately, I can not disclose the details of what we have gone through and are going through for so many reasons. And I’m sorry for that. I always dislike vague posts, but here I am…with a vague post. It has nothing to do with our marriage or our kiddos. Our family has actually become stronger and closer as we’ve had to navigate a lot of this on our own.

I did, however, want to jump on and share a few things to hopefully explain why I’ve paused this blogger gig of mine. I’ve had several ask so I thought you deserved a little bit of an explanation.

Going through something that took so much out of us, really made it hard for me to write. It was hard to set my struggle aside at that moment and jump on Instagram stories like nothing was going on. I was in a struggle and honestly a faith crisis that had me struggling with God. I’m not ashamed to say God and I have struggled, I actually think that is part of our Christian walk. Events happen in our lives that really test us, but I truly believe that in the end we are stronger for it. God and I continue to work on a couple of things. I’m stubborn so it takes me a while to fully accept situations. But I’m forcing myself to trust that His plan is divine and that nothing happens without His authority.

With everything going on, blogging took a backseat as I just felt that being more private with our lives was needed in this season of life. I also began getting some weird followers since my Instagram was public and even had someone that was pretty obsessed with my hubby. I learned to block people really quick, ha! It kind of made me protective over my family and scared me a little to be honest. It made me really think about how “public” I wanted to be with my kiddos and the details of their lives…. sadly, we live in a world where you can’t trust everyone.

So yeah, It’s just been a struggling season for us. But I’m still here and I’m still posting on the ‘gram here and there. I don’t know what the future of this blog is, but I’m not focusing on deciding that at the moment.

For now, my focus is healing and forcing myself to push forward. I feel like I’m in a season of listening and not saying much if that makes sense. I’m reevaluating my life and the people in it and choosing who I allow in my space. I’m working on being the best me so that I can be the best me for my family and friends.

Great things have happened in the last couple of months, so please don’t feel sorry for me! Life is truly great. It’s just sad that sometimes that one or two negative things going on really takes our focus and get us down. But I’m working on focusing on the positive and letting go of the negative. Truly, I’m working on this so hard.

I know that in the end of this journey, I will be better and stronger. A struggling season never leaves you empty handed because through that struggle, God reveals Himself more to you. And knowing and loving Him should be number one in our lives.

But I do want to encourage YOU. If you’re in a struggling season, don’t let yourself give in. When you feel alone like everyone has taken the side against you, stand confident in knowing that the most important person is on your side and that’s Jesus. Turn your focus away from THEM and focus on HIM. Focus on your family and the people who truly love you and want the best for you. Don’t apologize for removing toxic people and relationships out of your life and choose to set boundaries with people and situations that are slowly destroying you.

God calls us to forgive and love, but that doesn’t mean that we have to continue to place ourself in a toxic situation. Sometimes it just means that you love at a distance.

So whatever is weighing you down. Whatever is taking up space in your mind and heart that is slowly tearing you apart, release it today. Turn it over to God. Close that door. It doesn’t take two people to shut the door. You can make that choice.

God is faithful. God knows the truth and in the end God wins. Our battle is His and He’s already declared us victorious over it. So rest in His truth.

God has really placed Psalm 23 on my heart the last month. He’s especially taken me to v.5 where He says that He prepares a table in the presence of our enemies. God prepares a table for two. It’s you and Him. But that doesn’t mean that the enemy goes away. He roams around seeking out to destroy us. Louie Giglio says in his book, Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at your Table, “the devil can prowl around my life and around my table, but in Jesus name I have the choice whether I allow the enemy to sit down.” Take back your table prepared for you, friend! Tell the enemy he was not invited and he can not have a seat.

Whatever the enemy is using to get to you, in Jesus name you have the authority to tell him to flee. The struggle may continue…we may continue in the valley but don’t camp out in the valley. Hold on to God and keep walking. Keep trusting and keep believing that God is going to get you through this.

I hope this spoke to someone today. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to see why I haven’t blogged. I’m still here, just in a different way for now.

I hope you all are having the BEST summer! I hope to talk to you soon! I’m still hanging out on Instagram so feel free to check me out there.

Have a great day, friends!

XO

Hitting the Pause Button

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Morning, friends!!! I hope you had an amazing weekend. Ours was busy as they’ve all seemed to be lately. On Saturday, it rained all day and I’ve never been so thankful for the rain. Joseph’s tournament and Mackenzie’s game were pushed to Sunday and Jojo’s golf match was cancelled. We had a slow Saturday morning and even caught up on some laundry.

This week is already off to a crazy start. We have something every single evening and honestly I’m just taking it one day at a time. Our beach house is sold and we are closing on it next week so we will head down next Tuesday to finish up a couple of things before we sign on Friday.

The kids have FOUR weeks left of school so we are all into milestone testing and end of the year craziness. Honestly, I feel like I’m just holding on to dear life trying to get to summer. Dramatic? Yes, I know I am!

And this is just a little bit of what’s going on in the Eterno world. Believe me, you don’t want the whole 411! It’ll stress you out, haha!

With all that said, I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days and I’ve decided to pause blogging for just a bit. Not for long, I promise! I just need a breather to get caught up and focus on a couple of things that need my attention.

I may still hop on here and there if I have something to share. I want to bring you my best and right now, I’m just a little overextended.

Thank you for always being so encouraging and supportive. I’ll still post on instagram so follow me there if you don’t!

I’m learning that it’s ok to take a break when needed. I know that you all will still be here when I come back!

I will talk to you soon, friends!

XO

Throwback Thursday {9.28.20}

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Morning, friends!! What. A. Week. I didn’t expect to go almost all week without blogging, but goodness it’s been crazy.

Every year, the last month of school feels like I’m just trying to survive. But I’ll get back to consistently blogging, I promise!!

Today’s throwback is actually one that I went back to read today. It’s called “One Bite at a Time.” A much needed reminder about not getting so overwhelmed.

Have a great Thursday, Friends! I hope this encourages you today.

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

I’ve got to admit that when the alarm went off at 4:10 this morning, I wished that Mondays really were optional ha! But I sucked it up and got up and got going.

After a lot of conviction and nudging from God, I set out last week to be more productive with my days. I am all about a “lazy” day, but I had let myself get to a place where I was having more lazy days than non lazy days. I am, by nature, a very disciplined person but I am also a huge procrastinator.

I found my days sitting around, looking at my phone and then looking at the clock and an hour had gone by. I began to feel God telling me that I was not being a good steward of my time. I put things on the back burner because in my mind I didn’t have the time, but in reality, I wasn’t making the time. 

I always know when God is speaking to me when everything points to the same thing. In my devotional and book I am reading, it talked about habits and doing the hard things. In the message yesterday our pastor reminded us that we make time for things that are important to us. It was definitely a “ok God, I get it already,” moment.

So last week I set out to be productive and I wanted to share with you what I did in hopes that maybe it will help and encourage you.

The first thing I did was wake up and get up when the alarm went off. I forced myself to not hit the snooze button. Some days were definitely easier than others. I decided that I would wake up at 4:10 so that I could do my “blaire strength” workout and then make sure that I could have my quiet time before waking Mackenzie up to start her day. I reminded myself that I would be so happy that I got it in early and didn’t have to find the time later in the day.

I had my quiet time everyday. This is a non-negotiable for me. It is a must. My time with God is something that I desperately need everyday. I love devotionals that I can do each day, but they are so hard to find. The one I am currently doing is called, Take Back Your Life by Levi Lusko. Y’all, it has been such a game changer for me. It goes right along with what God has been showing me lately and I look forward to it each day. If you are looking for a devotional, I definitely recommend this one. I am also reading his wife’s book, The Fight to Flourish. I try to read a couple of chapters a day, but some days I only have time for a couple of pages. I feel that they compliment each other very well.

The other thing that I set out to do each day was to go back to making lists. I love lists because they keep me on task. And I love marking things off when I complete them. Every night I would pull out my calendar and see what I had going the next day. I would write my to-do list, schedule for the day and lists of items I needed to pick up that day. I found myself forgetting things all the time… making these lists helped so much. I also took the list with me so that I could stay on task when out and about. So often I will get somewhere and completely forget an item. It also helped me drive my day verses the day driving me. I stayed in control and I was productive.

I made my bed every day! A bed made makes for a better day ha! At least in my book. My mom is huge about this and I am too. Something about a bed made just makes me feel more put together and like I accomplished something.

I did 1-2 loads of laundry daily and folded and put away each one right then. I hate laundry. Not so much doing laundry… I hate putting it away so it piles up. We will have loads of clean laundry that are folded in a laundry basket in my room and I was just so over it. So I forced myself each day to put it away. Y’all, it was crazy how everything in me wanted to leave it there because I swore I would do it later. It’s the procrastinator trying to take over ha! But I fought it and forced myself to do it. It was so nice to start the week caught up on laundry!

Last but not least and so important was that I gave myself lots of GRACE. I am an all or nothing gal so often times I just don’t do something because I can’t do it all at once and I find myself overwhelmed. It’s easier to not do it than to do it if that makes sense. I took the eating the elephant approach. You’ve probably heard this analogy. You eat the elephant one bite at a time. Many times we don’t do the hard stuff because we are so overwhelmed that we don’t know where to start. Just start! One step at a time. I was so behind on laundry when I started the week and normally I would get overwhelmed, but instead I just started it and gave myself small goals. I did the same with other tasks. I reminded myself that small steps towards a big goal are better than no steps at all. And on the night when I was so exhausted and went to bed instead of putting away the dishes from dinner that night, I gave myself lots of grace the next morning and thanked God for extra sleep the night before. A grateful heart always keeps me in a positive mindset.

I know all of these are practical things, but they are what helped me get myself back on the productive wagon. I have seasons where I completely fall off and that was the season I was in. These small little habits helped get me back on track. Will I fall off again? Absolutely! I am human, we all are. Nobody is perfect and life happens! But when I fall off, I will get back on again and I will be ok. Grace, grace!

You may find yourself in a funk. Looking at your day at night wondering what you got done or wondering where all your time went. You may also be like me and spend way too much time on your phone when you could be doing something else like laundry ha! That was me! This week I tried to set a timer when I would start to scroll social media and it worked! It kept me on track and once the timer went off, I would grab my book and read instead.

A verse that I’ve had on my mind has been, Colossians 3:23-24 that says, 

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

I’ve reminded myself as I do the laundry and my daily chores that feel so mundane that I am doing them with all my heart working for the Lord. It has helped change my perspective and my heart when I pick up someone’s shoes for the hundredth time! As a mom we can look at our tasks as mundane and not important, but they absolutely are. We serve God as we serve our family and doing the laundry and cooking dinner is serving our family. This crazy season isn’t going to last forever and one day the laundry won’t be as bad because it’ll only be you and your husband. One day the dinner table will be just you and your husband because the kiddos are grown and in their own homes. So embrace this moment and do all things as you would do them for the Lord!

I hope this encourages someone today. Remember to not be so hard on yourself. Take small steps towards your big goals instead of no steps at all and do all things as you are doing them for God.

Happy Monday

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Good morning my friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Ours was jam packed and honestly, I’m still recovering from it!

Joseph and Jojo spent the weekend in Hilton Head with family and friends. They attended the RBC Heritage Golf Tournament. They had a blast and I am so happy that they were able to experience this. Joseph said Jojo was in heaven!

The girls and I had a full weekend, too. Mackenzie had four soccer games and Mary had a birthday party and spent the night with a friend.

Needless to say, I need a weekend from my weekend, ha!

I shared this picture on Instagram this weekend.

I would normally be mortified to post this picture because of all of the laundry on the bed and the floor. But this is real life, y’all. The bed doesn’t always get made and laundry backs up more than I’d like it to, but I’m learning to be ok with that.

For someone who is OCD and needs their house to always be put together, this is a hard thing to accept. But the realization that time is fleeting and that I have EIGHT more years before this one graduates high school, is teaching me what is truly important in life.

Jojo has FOUR years and Mary has FIVE before they’re off to college and y’all the thought of this is truly overwhelming. It’s making me rethink so much.

Mommas, the days are long but the years are definitely short. I used to hear people say this and I didn’t believe it, but now I do. Time is precious and we have to live each day to the fullest. We need to invest in our kids, spend time with them. Teach them the facts of life and pour into them. They need it desperately right now.

There is so much pulling for their attention and if we are not careful, we are going to lose them to those things.

So instead of coming home to catch up on laundry and clean up, I took Mackenzie out to dinner and afterwards she asked to go to Kroger to pick up some ice cream.

We came home, put on a movie, sat on the couch and ate our ice cream. And the laundry is still there today. That’ll be what I’m working on today.

One day when I’m sitting in my clean and organized house with no laundry to do because all of my kids are gone, I will be thankful that I chose them over the laundry.

Love is truly spelled T-I-M-E.

I hope y’all have a great day!

XO

Friday Favorites {4.16.20}

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Happy FRIDAY!!! Oh my goodness, we’ve had a busy week. And our weekend is just as crazy with four soccer games. We are almost at the end of the season and I am so excited to finally have a short break. Summer can not get here fast enough!

I’m linking up, as I do every Friday, with Erika and Andrea for our Friday Favorites. I didn’t take many pics this week as it was so busy. But here are a couple of my faves for the week!

Grab your coffee and let’s do this!

Oh my goodness! I’ve got to share the last two books that I read. They are so so good. Both of them are psychological thrillers and are probably two of my favorites that I’ve read so far.

The first one is The Perfect Marriage. Y’all! I could not put this book down. Especially towards the end! It’s about a very successful defense attorney and her husband. He finds himself accused of murder. He’s on trial and she chooses to be his attorney. There are so many details, but I don’t want to spoil a single one.

The next one is The Silent Patient. I devoured this one. It is about an artist who is accused of murdering her husband. She is a painter and when police come to the scene of the murder, they find her with a painting, slashed wrists and mute. After going to trial, they send her to a psychiatric ward.

A psychotherapist is very intrigued withher story and applies for a job to hopefully become her therapist. He gets the job and starts his journey to get her to speak. No one knows what really happened on the night her husband was killed except for her. It’s so good, y’all!!

On Tuesday, we went out to dinner to celebrate one of my very best friend’s birthday. We tried a new place called, Chucks Fish in Athens. Y’all! It was so delicious!! If you are a sushi fan, I am not, but it if you are you should really check them out! For those of us that don’t love sushi, they have a lot of other options. I ate the special with was a blackened mahi-mahi and it was delish!

I bought my friend the prettiest necklace. I loved it so much, I bought myself one too! Do you ever do that when shopping for a birthday gift?! No? Just me? Ok. Ha!

I bought it at our local boutique, Polished Chic. They have the cutest things. I also bought this dress that is now a fave!

I love that I can wear it with sneakers!

I am back to running again this month! Last month, I walked five miles about 5-6 days each week. It was wonderful. But this month, I’m adding in more runs.

I’m going through this mini mid-life crisis, I think. I’m reflecting on so much and re-prioritizing some things in my life. I’m coming to terms with so much and realizing how to be a happier and healthier version of me. I know this sounds vague, but I promise I will share more soon!

This watch band is probably my favorite one I’ve ever bought! It’s from Amazon. I love that it’s clear and it’s protective of my screen!

I was in Mary’s room to make her bed and noticed some sticky notes over her nightstand. I got closer to read them and they were bible verses and affirmations. It made my momma heart so happy!!

We got to spend a little one on one time with her and Jojo yesterday. We ate lunch and just talked to them about their goals for the future. It was a sweet time. They are growing up so fast and I just want to make sure that I enjoy every minute!

Last, but not least! As you guys know, I am a Real Estate Agent. I have always done more of the behind the schemes, operational, marketing stuff. But this year, I am trying to force myself out there and take on a couple of clients. I am really loving it, but it’s definitely out of my comfort zone.

Every week, I’m going to try and share one Real Estate related favorite.

This week, our new listing takes the prize! Its a beautiful 50 acre farm in Watkinsville. The pictures do not do it justice! You can click here, to view the listing.

If you are looking to buy and/or sell, I would really love to help you! Our team is pretty amazing. We strive to make your home buying process as smooth as possible!

And that’s it for the week! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!

XO

P.S. This post contains affiliate links. Thank you so much for supporting my blog!

Throwback Thursday {4.9.20}: Pray First

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Morning, friends!! Today’s Throwback Thursday is one that I needed to go back and read today. It’s all about Praying instead of worrying. I am a worrier for sure, but over the last year God has taught me to turn my worries into prayers. He’s in control of every situation in my life and I just trust that His ways are the best ways.

I hope this short devotional encourages and challenges you today!

Pray First

Mark Batterson says that the way to praying without ceasing is to turn everything into a prayer. From the big problems in our lives to our hopes and dreams. But also in the mundane and in the simple things. As we bring everything to Him in prayer it becomes a way of life and our life becomes a continuous prayer.

He says that there’s good news to being a worrier by nature because in the Bible, Paul tells us to not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  When a worry enters your mind, take it to God in prayer.  When you start to feel anxious, take it to Him in prayer.

We can pray for our children as we fold their laundry and we can pray with them as we tuck them in at night.  We can pray as we walk or run our neighborhood.  As we go by each house, pray for the people who live in that house.  We can pray in the car on our way to work or to run errands.  We can pray anywhere!

This is what God wants.  He wants to have a constant connection with us.  He wants us to turn to prayer and choose to take everything to Him first.  What would happen if as soon as we wake up, the first thing we did was pray instead of pick up our phones?  This really convicted me.  I am so quick to turn my alarm off and then my fingers naturally go to social media.  What would happen if we prayed instead?

Mark Batterson shares in Draw the circle that,

“The reason most people don’t feel intimacy with God, is that they don’t have a daily prayer rhythm. They may have a weekly rhythm of going to church, which is wonderful, but doing so in and of itself won’t produce intimacy with God. Can you imagine talking with your spouse or child once a week? God wants a day-by-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute relationship with you.”

Today let’s focus on praying first. In everything, let’s pray and take it to Him first.

Have a great Thursday!

XO

Let’s Look:Inside our Fridge & Pantry!

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Morning, friends!!! Goodness, we came home from Spring Break and hit the ground running. So much going on this week that I’m just taking it an hour at a time. It’s been a bit overwhelming, but I try not to think about what’s ahead too much and just focus on the present and the task at hand. Do you ever have weeks like that? So much to do that you can only take it a day at a time?

We will get there, friends! The weekend is upon us and although it is equally as busy for us, I’m looking forward to it.

I didn’t blog yesterday…. honestly I was struggling a bit getting back into the swing of things. It always takes me a bit to adjust after a week off.

Today is the Let’s Look! Every month, I link up with Erika and Shay to “look” at a certain aspect of our lives.

In January, we looked at our coffee bar areas. 

In February, we looked at our love languages.

In March, we looked at our perfect night in.

I’m not going to lie, this month’s topic isn’t my favorite. Currently, I’m on the struggle bus with this aspect of my life, but here we go.

My fridge… nothing glamorous at all. I thought about making it all pretty and tidy for y’all, but nope…I’m just keeping it real.

Nothing special at all! We always make sure that we are stocked up on eggs, yogurt, fruits and veggies. Jojo loves the Core Power protein shakes by Fairlife so I make sure I have plenty for him. And of course lunchables and fruit cups for lunch!

And then the freezer…. I don’t typically freeze my meat. I buy it fresh and cook it within a couple of days. If, for some reason, we don’t use it then I freeze it. But two staples in my freezer are frozen pancakes and a Dijourno, ha! The kiddos love the pancakes for a quick breakfast and the pizza is an easy dinner when we are super busy!

And then there’s my pantry. So quick story. I have an organization system. Nothing complicated as I have learned with kids to not over complicate being organized. But, there’s a method to the madness that is the pantry. A couple of weeks ago, Mackenzie decided to “help” me clean the pantry and she moved everything around!! EVERYTHING!!! I had to bite my tongue and say thank you because the girl spent an hour cleaning and organizing. So nothing is in its place at the moment and I don’t have the time to put it back the way it was.

But you know, it’s like when your kiddo makes their bed and it’s not exactly the way you like it. You don’t go behind them and “fix” it. You tell them good job because that was their best work. So for now, we will keep it the way it is until I have some time to organize it back the way it was. We added the counters back in December and I love them! I haven’t had the time to really organize all of the drawers and cabinets. It’s a summer project! Do you have certain projects that you put off until summer? Or is that just me?

And that massive crate does not stay there normally. Poor Georgia was spayed this week so we needed a big crate for her since she has the cone of shame….

Bless her…

So anyways! Nothing to exciting here today, folks! I hope y’all are having an amazing day!! I have so much that I want to share with you, but I’m trying to organize it all in my brain. I will get it together, I promise!

If you are a blogger and want to join us next month, here’s the schedule of topics.

Have a great Wednesday!

XO

Happy Monday: Spring Break Recap 2021

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Goooood morning, friends!!! It’s so nice to be back after a week off. I hope you all had a wonderful week.

We had a wonderful Spring Break in HHI with Joseph’s mom and step dad.

When we arrived on Thursday, it was cold! But by Sunday, the weather was beautiful. We watched online service that morning and then had brunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Poseidon. And then we took a couple of “Easter” pics of course.

I am still in shock everyday at how quickly our kiddos are growing up.

I didn’t buy “Easter” outfits this year because I knew that we would be out of town and watching online service in our pjs. But I did buy this dress from Amazon and I love it! I’m also loving my sandals. I wore them all week!

The weather only got warmer as the week went on. That meant a lot more beach time than we normally get on Spring Break. And this girl couldn’t be happier about it! She is our beach bum!

This kiddo spent more time on the golf course with his buddy than he did on the beach. So I had to take a picture of this rare sighting, ha! He did have his best rounds of golf this past week. He was so excited! He’s been working super hard!

Mary’s friend joined us for the week and they both had a great time. Lots of bike riding, general store shopping and sun bathing for these two.

Nonny and Papa joined us late Monday night and stayed with us all week. It was so nice to have that time with them. Aside from the beach, the kiddos loved fishing in the small lake that’s on the back of the property.

And they also took the paddle boat out for a spin!

Oh! I almost forgot. Mackenzie got to play her first round of 18 with Joseph and Jojo! She had a blast! She was exhausted, but loved it.

She has been waiting for this moment for a long time!

We didn’t eat out too much. The island was hopping and the restaurants had such long waits. I was able to get reservations for one of our nights there.

And then afterwards, we took some pics at Shelter Cove Park.

I took these two to lunch and TJ Maxx earlier that day and they bought matching outfits. Aren’t they so beautiful?!

We ended the night with a round of putt putt and then went home to watch a movie.

Friday, we went to Harbour Town to eat lunch at the Crazy Crab. Nonny took this picture of Papa and Jojo. I love how they are walking the same.

And then we went home to clean and pack.

It was such a good week! So thankful for the amazing weather and family time. It was so needed for all of us!

Towards the end of the week, I went on a solo run and was just overwhelmed at my view of the ocean.

It reminded me of how BIG my God is and how SMALL I am and that He is God and I am not.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. Psalms 146:6

So thankful for God’s unfailingly love. Even when things happen that my mind can’t comprehend, I can trust His ways.

I hope you all had an amazing week!! And I hope you have a GREAT Monday!

XO

Friday Favorites {4.2.21}

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Happy Friday, friends!!! I hope you had an awesome week! My kids are officially on Spring Break and I’m so excited to spend the week with them.

As of today, Joseph and I are going to do our best to truly be “on vacation” and really focus on our family. I’ll be on Instagram here and there, but as far as the blog, I’m going to pause it until Monday, April 12th while I hang with my crew.

But before I go, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for Friday Favorites! Let’s do this!

We finally got to hold the newest member of our crew!! Y’all, Luka is the sweetest baby!

I always love sharing products with you that I love. I especially love finding affordable options and these two are currently some of my faves.

This setting spray is awesome! I spray it once I’m done applying my make-up and it sets it for the day. And this mascara is the bomb! I recommend using a lash primer first!

Last Friday I shared these leggings and told you how much I love them!

Well, I bought them in a different color and y’all! I love them, too! These were only $26!

Seriously, if you are looking for an affordable alternative for leggings I recommend you try these.

I’ve been eyeing these sandals for spring/summer. When I saw that they were on sale, I decided to finally click add to cart!

I LOVE them!

And last, but definitely not least….

Today is Good Friday and I couldn’t go without mentioning it. It’s the day that we remember the sacrifice that Jesus paid for us. My relationship with Jesus is the most important thing in my life.

He is the reason I can get through the good and the bad days. If you’ve never placed your trust in Him or if you have any questions, I would love to talk with you. Send me an email to: myeterno@gmail.con or a direct message on Instagram.

If you are looking for a Good Friday Service, we will be watching online, here. And if you need an Easter service to watch online, here’s a link.

I pray that this Easter weekend will be like no other. I pray that you will be able to feel the love that Jesus showed for us the day He took our place on the cross. I pray that if you are in the middle of a crazy season, that you will choose to trust in Him.

I hope you have an amazing day and week!! Happy Spring Break, friends! I’ll see you back here on April 12th!

XO

Throwback Thursday {4.20.20}

Published on by Maggie Eterno2 Comments

Good morning! Today’s Throwback Thursday is from last April. I pray it encourages you today.

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God Can Restore Our Brokenness

On Easter Sunday, Elevation Church sang a song called Rattle.  Since then, I’ve been thinking a lot about the story of the dry bones in Ezekiel.  This morning I went to the passage in Ezekiel 37:1-14.

God takes Ezekiel down to the middle of a valley where it was full of bones.  Very dry bones.  God then tells Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones and when Ezekiel does as the Lord says, the bones begin to rattle and come together.  Not only do the bones come together, tendons and skin begin to appear.  Then God tells Ezekiel to prophesy again in verse 9 which says,

“Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”

So Ezekiel did as God said, and breath came into them and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army (vs.10)!!

Could you imagine???  Stop and think for a minute.  Dry bones, turned into flesh and came to life!  And not only that, God used a mortal to do it.  Ezekiel obeyed and did as God said and watched this unfold right in front of him.

God told Ezekiel that this army, these bones, represented the people of Israel.  They were dry, feeling cut off from God and without hope.  He promised that He would bring them back to the land of Israel and that He would put His Spirit within them so that they could live.

I began to think about how all of this happened in the middle of the valley.  Many of us find ourselves in a valley right now.  We are going through struggles, hardships and tough circumstances.  We are trying our best to hold on to our faith, but each week as life gets harder we can feel our faith weaken.  We are like those dry bones.  We feel cut off from God, dry and parched and have began to lose our hope.

In verse 4, God tells Ezekiel to prophesy over those bones by telling them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.”  And I believe that God wants us to do the same.  He wants us to Hear the word of the Lord and to declare it over our lives.  God wants you to live.  If you are a follower of Christ, His Holy Spirit is within you and He says live.  1 Peter 2:16 says that the will of God is for us to live as people who are free.  He’s brought you back to life and has placed His spirit within you.  You can be free of whatever is holding you down.  You can live and be filled with hope.  And that hope is Jesus.

Just as God took those bones and put them back together and gave them life, He can do the same with you and your situation.  He can restore and redeem the broken areas in your life.  I love the saying, “there’s nothing too far gone for God.”  I’ve lived far from God and I’ve experienced His embrace and love when I came back to Him.  He will not turn His back on you, He will love you and accept you just as you are.

Whatever is broken in your life right now whether it’s your finances, relationships, or your heart- God can restore it.  He is faithful and He will do it.  Hear His Word today and declare life over your situation.

Dear Lord, help us live a life fully surrendered to you. Help us continue to trust that you are working in our lives even when we don’t feel you or see you. Lord, help us live the way you’ve called us to live. Help us walk in the freedom that you’ve given us. Thank you Jesus for coming to save us so that we could live a life to the fullest in you. I pray that you will restore the areas in our life that are broken. Lord I believe that you can pick up the pieces and create something even more beautiful than what was there before.

XO